


A Ghostly Counsel

by pravenclaw



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23217349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pravenclaw/pseuds/pravenclaw
Summary: This is part of my best friend Bertie's #LightInTheDarkness over on Twitter. Today's prompt was Hogwarts House.Scorpius Malfoy meets with the Grey Lady - the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower.Cursed Child compliant. This scene would take place between Act 2, Scene 13 and 14.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	A Ghostly Counsel

‘Students are not allowed up here,’ came an irate voice suddenly from behind him.

Scorpius flinched. Standing behind him was the ghost of a tall lady with dark waist-length hair. She wore a haughty expression; cold and full of disdain. There was something poised, a grace about the lady as she floated a few inches from the ground.

Scorpius rose to his feet and gripped onto his bag tighter. Thankfully, the Time-Turner remained there. It was warm, gently buzzing with magic.

‘I – I know, I’m sorry. I was just –’

‘Were you crying?’ said the ghost. The question was not one asked out of concern. Her expression hadn’t changed. Her pearly eyes remained blank and empty.

‘No,’ said Scorpius sheepishly. The ghost’s eyes inspected him closely. Scorpius felt his cheeks burn under her gaze.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I was.’

The ghost nodded. She glided away from Scorpius, over to the large window behind them. She rested her hands on the sill and looked wistfully out.

‘It’s peaceful here,’ she said. ‘This tower boasts some of the best views of the Lake and grounds, wouldn’t you agree?’ Her voice seemed warmer. Like a siren, Scorpius felt beckoned by it somehow, though the ghost remained quite still.

Scorpius joined her by the window, where the ghost turned to him.

‘Who are you?’ she said.

‘Scorpius Malfoy,’ he said, bracing himself for the inevitable grimace or scowl. The ghost, however, did not react.

‘A-and you’re Helena Ravenclaw, aren’t you? The Grey Lady – the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower.’

This, it seemed, did warrant a reaction. The ghost appeared rather taken aback. Her mouth opened slowly, then closed again.

‘I am surprised,’ said Helena. ‘Not many in this castle know me by the name I carried when I lived. Nor do they care. No one asks. _The Grey Lady_ ,’ she added bitterly, ‘is not a particularly flattering moniker to have.’

Scorpius felt cautious. Though she had died many years ago, something about the solitary Helena Ravenclaw felt painful and raw. Her long face didn’t give much away.

‘I know your story, too,’ said Scorpius. ‘Or rather, I read the legend when I was younger. I don’t know how much of it is true. About your mother… and the Baron.’

Helena scoffed. Her eyes narrowed. She lifted her left hand and placed it above her heart.

‘People are often astonished when they discover my true identity and my story, as though it was ever a secret. Like it’s something I wished to conceal or hide away through shame, but I am not ashamed. It is for others, such as the Baron, to feel shame, I could never deign myself to feel that. It is remorse I feel; I have carried it with me for a millennia or more. Yes, the story is true.’

Scorpius wasn’t sure how to respond. He nodded a few times and frowned. Helena looked away; her expression plain and blank once more.

‘Why were you crying, Scorpius Malfoy?’ said Helena. She was watching a bird struggling to fly against the wind high above the Lake. Scorpius cleared his throat.

‘Oh, that – well… the thing is… my… my friend, my best friend and I… we got into some trouble together. Big trouble. And things sort of… went wrong. Very wrong. We messed up. And now we’re not allowed to b-be around each other anymore, and I-I don’t really know why. His dad wants us to be kept separate and I don’t understand it.’ He paused. ‘People say things about me… And, well, I think that might be the reason why… but it can’t be true, or at least – I’m sorry. _Sorry_ , Helena. This must seem so trivial to you.’

‘Everything seems trivial to someone who has walked the earth for as long as I have, especially one who haunts a school. But I asked you, Scorpius Malfoy.’

He faked a smile.

‘I was never as wise as my mother,’ said Helena, ‘but the only counsel I feel qualified to give you is that you must prove them all wrong. Prove that you’re not what everyone expects you to be. I have learnt much from my time haunting this castle, walking amongst its students. If your friend values your friendship just as much as you clearly do, you have nothing to worry about. Things often sort themselves out in the end. People end up right where they should be.’

‘Things have changed so much,’ said Scorpius. ‘He might not want to be my friend anymore.’

‘Have faith in him,’ said Helena. ‘I have enjoyed this talk,’ she said, ‘but you must go now. Students really shouldn’t be in this part of the castle.’

‘I know, but it was quiet,’ frowned Scorpius. ‘Away from everyone.’

Helena nodded and started to drift away. Scorpius began climbing back down the stairs, but Helena called him back.

‘Wait,’ she commanded.

Scorpius doubled back and walked towards her. She stood serenely; her hands clasped tightly together.

‘I think you would have fared well in Ravenclaw,’ smiled Helena, though her eyes analysed his face.

‘Yes, well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider it,’ said Scorpius. ‘I wouldn’t have minded, not really, but Slytherin was the better fit. Probably.’

Helena didn’t respond. She continued to stare at him.

‘You’re not what I was expecting,’ she said. ‘I hear many things in this castle, rumours and whispers, some louder than others. Some concerning you, Scorpius Malfoy.’

Helena paused and raised her chin.

‘I do not believe them to be true,’ she said, and with that, drifted off through the stone wall.

Scorpius let out a shaky breath. He smiled, and again took off down the stairs.

Everyone seemed to know that he and Albus had run away and somehow managed to get off the Hogwarts Express. People pointed in the corridors, which Scorpius was used to, but for the first time ever he saw awe and a new-found respect in the eyes of some, particularly the younger students. How he wished he could talk to Albus right now. He knew how much they’d laugh about that sort of thing.

But then he saw Polly, a lonely figure without Rose by her side, and remembered.

Rose was gone. And he and Albus were to blame. He scanned the corridors looking for his best friend – could he even call him that anymore? – but he couldn’t see his face amongst the crowd. Scorpius went where his feet took him. He slumped down in the middle of a staircase, his head in his hands.

‘ _So – technically – I shouldn’t be here!_ ’

The voice startled Scorpius, forcing him up onto his feet.

‘Delphi?’


End file.
